Snow fence post holder

ABSTRACT

A pointed cast-iron tip, to facilitate driving into the ground, having drain passages, is fitted into the end of a section of pipe. The pipe provides lateral support to the inserted post and the tip provides drain passages for water and vertical support for the post. A cover prevents the entry of foreign material into the holder when it is not holding a post. Holders are permanently positioned by driving them in the ground at the predetermined post intervals of the snow fence.

United States Patent Hubert Cordell, Sr.

946 File Avenue, Wilmington, Ohio 45177 [21] Appl. No. 34,937

[22] Filed May 6, 1970 [45} Patented Dec. 28, 1971 [72] Inventor [54] SNOW FENCE POST HOLDER 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 256/12.5, 52/298 [51] Int. Cl. E04h 12/22 [50] Field of Search 256/125, 24, 25, 21, 59; 52/298, 165, 296

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re 12,385 8/1805 Bruley 52/298 X 239,080 3/1881 Baker..... 52/298 449,317 3/ 1891 Fischer 52/165 931,568 8/1909 Collier 52/298 1,147,409 7/1915 Krawczyk. 256/24 1,991,087 2/1935 Falcon 52/298 X 2,120,806 6/1938 KeuffeL. 52/165 X 3,093,363 6/1963 Bohon 256/24 X 3,203,396 8/1965 Carmichael 256/24 X 3,378,967 4/1968 Baumeister... 52/165 X 3,471,129 10/1969 Mpakarakes 256/24 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorneys-Harry A. Herbert, Jr. and Robert Kern Duncan ABSTRACT: A pointed cast-iron tip, to facilitate driving into the ground, having drain passages, is fitted into the end of a section of pipe. The pipe provides lateral support to the inserted post and the tip provides drain passages for water and vertical support for the post. A cover prevents the entry of foreign material into the holder when it is not holding a post. Holders are permanently positioned by driving them in the ground at the predetermined post intervals of the snow fence.

Patented Dec. 28, 1971 INVENTOR. llfieflr (Ofbfll S4? 14 QQVW M l-09M SNOW FENCE POST HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention is in post holders for demountable fences.

Snow fences to keep drifting snow from critical areas is well known. Generally snow fences are not left up over the summer, but are installed in early winter and taken down in the spring. Generally the drifting of snow occurs in the same area each year. Frequently an early snow arrives before it is anticipated and it is imperative that the snow fence be expediently installed, quite often during the storm. Conventionally the snow fence is supported by steel posts driven into the ground. The driving of the posts into the ground and the removing of them the following spring is quite laborious and time consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is a holder for the posts of a temporary fence, particularly for posts supporting a snow fence. It is permanently installed in the ground such that the top 'of the holder with its protective cover is at ground level or slightly above, but not of such a height as to interfere with the operation of mowers or other ground equipment. In the late fall or early winter the grass has died and the holders are readily located and the attached protective covers, which may be painted a bright color, are removed and conventional steel posts (without the usual anchor) as are used with snow fence are inserted in the holders and the snow fence attached to the posts in the conventional manner. Through the use of the disclosed holders, it has been found that the man-hours required to install or remove a given length of snow fence is but a small fraction of the time formerly required.

The post holder is equally well suited for holding the post for any demountable fence, that must frequently, in the same location, be installed and removed, such as that used at fairgrounds, exhibitions, sportsvevents, air shows, and similar activities. In these instances the posts used may be pipe or tubing instead of the conventional steel farm posts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the cover;

FIG. 3 is a half-section view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1:

FIG. 4 is a side view of the pointed tip member; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of the pointed tip member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Conventional farm-style steel fence posts fit nicely in conventional 2-inch pipe, and while generally such posts are marketed with a conventional anchor they may readily be obtained without the anchor. They are frequently used without an anchor where the installation is temporary. Thus the tubular body member 11 of my invention, shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, may be approximately a 2-foot length of conventional 2-inch steel pipe. For economical reasons, conventional steel pipe is generally preferred, however, a tubular member of square, tri' angular, or other cross section suitable for containing the post may be used. The body member contains and supports the lower end of the post, that is, the part that is normally driven into the ground. A pointed tip member 12 is secured to one end of tubular member 11. Cast iron is the preferred material for the tip member. A short section 13 of the tip member is cast with a slight taper so that it may be driven in engaging relationship into the tubular member. For a pipe tubular member the section 13 of the tip member is essentially cylindrical, except for a slight taper for ease of insertion. For tubular members of other cross sections, the engaging part of the tip member is cast to have a cross section to conform with the cross section of the tubular member. The tip member may be further secured to the tubular member with one or more spot welds 14. Generally, I have found that the spot welds are not needed as the casting tolerances on the tip have been close enough to provide an easy-drive snug fit between the tip member and the tubular member that will satisfactorily secure the tip to the tubular member.

It is necessary that the tip member have at least one drainage passage from the space within the holder to the surrounding soil. In the embodiment of the tip member shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the tip member has two depressions l5 and 16 extending along its cylindrical length, past the shoulder 26 and into the recesses 17 and 18, respectively. The shoulder 26 seats against the end of the pipe. The depressions l5 and 16, and the recessed 17 and 18, form two passageways for the draining of moisture from the inside 19 of the holder to the ground. By making the passageways terminate in the lateral side recessed drain openings 17 and 18 instead of extending straight on through vertically to the top surface, soil will not pack up in the passageways and drain openings as the holder is driven into the ground. It is desirable that the curvature of the surface of the tip from the top point to the flange that contains the drain depression be essentially parabolic so that the drain opening is essentially lateral. This configuration has been found to be much superior to a conventional conically pointed tip in providing good drainage.

A plastic cover 20 keeps foreign matter from entering the holder during the time it is not supporting a post. A completely removable cover may be used, but due to high lossage it is preferable that the cover be permanently attached to the holder, but readily replaceable in case of damage. In the embodiment shown the cover is held to the post holder by annular ring member 21 which is forced over the end of the tubular member 11; the hole in the ring being molded slightly smaller in cross section than the outside of the tubular member. The cover 20 is attached to the securing member 21v by the integrally molded strip 22 that functions as a hinge and also secures the cover to the attaching ring. A preferred way of installing the post holder in the ground is to drive the tubular member with the attached pointed tip member into the ground, at the desired location, until the upper end of the tubular member protrudes approximately I inch above the ground level. The securing ring of the cover is then forced down over the end of the tubular member approximately to the ground level and the top of the cover forced over the open end of the tubular member. Integrally molded ring members 23 and 24 grip the pipe and hold the cover in place when it is handpressed over the end of the pipe. As previously mentioned, it is desirable that the cover be of a bright contrasting color for easy location. Thus it is preferable that the plastic material from which it is molded contain a bright pigment such as a vivid orange. An alternative, though generally not as desirable, is to paint the covers a bright color. The material from which the cover unit comprising the cover top 20, the hinge 22, and the attaching ring 21, is molded preferably should be weather-resistant material having good flexibility characteristics at the normal low temperatures at which the device is used. Plastics such as nylon, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, silicone, and butyl rubber are generally satisfactory materials.

In a typical embodiment of the invention that has proven very satisfactory, the pipe member 11 is a 2-foot length of 2- inch steel pipe, and the tip 12 has a cylindrical section 1-5/16 inches long and an overall length of approximately 3-3/l6 inches. The pointed region of the tip is a convex surface of revolution. The depressions forming the drain passages are approximately one-eighth inch deep and three-eighths inch across in the cylindrical section at the shoulder. They are slightly less at the top of the cylindrical section due to the approximately one-eighth inch of taper cast in the cylindrical section. The generally spherical section recesses extending from the shoulder into the paraboloid part of the tip are approximately seven-sixteenths inch across and of a depth aproximately equal to or slightly greater than the depth of the depression in the cylindrical section. It is to be understood that these dimensions are not critical and are merely set forth as an example.

I claim:

l. A post holder for driving into the ground for locating and supporting the lower end of a removable post of a demountable snow fence, the said post of the demountable snow fence being a conventional farm-style steel post without an anchor, the said holder comprising:

a. a body member formed from an approximately 2-foot length of conventional 2-inch steel pipe for containing the lower end of the said post and providing lateral support;

b. a cast-iron tip member for vertically supporting the said post, the said tip member for vertically supporting the said post, the said tip member having an essentially cylindrical portion for insertion in to the said pipe, and an adjacent pointed portion, the said pointedportion having essentially a parabolic convex surface of revolution and forming a shoulder of approximately the wall thickness of the said pipe adjacent the said cylindrical portion;

. means for securing the said cylindrical portion of the tip member in one end of the pipe of the body member with the said end of the pipe seated on the said shoulder;

. a drain passage from the inside of the said body member.

. a removably attached plastic cover attached to the other end of the pipe of the body member for covering the end of the holder when the holder is not containing a post. 

1. A post holder for driving into the ground for locating and supporting the lower end of a removable post of a demountable snow fence, the said post of the demountable snow fence being a conventional farm-style steel post without an anchor, the said holder comprising: a. a body member formed from an approximately 2-foot length of conventional 2-inch steel pipe for containing the lower end of the said post and providing lateral support; b. a cast-iron tip member for vertically supporting the said post, the said tip member having an essentially cylindrical portion for insertion into the said pipe, and an adjacent pointed portion, the said pointed portion having essentially a parabolic convex surface of revolution and forming a shoulder of approximately the wall thickness of the said pipe adjacent the said cylindrical portion; c. means for securing the said cylindrical portion of the tip member in one end of the pipe of the body member, with the said end of the pipe seated on the said shoulder; d. a drain passage from the inside of the said body member, formed in the said cylindrical portion of the tip member and terminating in a recess forming an essentially lateral opening adjacent to the said shoulder in the said convex surface of revolution; and e. a removably attached plastic cover attached to the other end of the pipe of the body member for covering the end of the holder when the holder is not containing a post. 